This is the Mavic 2 (and We’re Giving One Away!)

This is the Mavic 2 (and We’re Giving One Away!)

By Jonathan Jacobs

<

After the last minute cancelation of DJI’s “See the Bigger Picture” event last month, leak after leak after leak has laid bare most of the secrets about the Mavic 2 Series. However, after a long wait, the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom are finally official and we are giving one away! (Read on for more details about the aircraft and the Mavic 2 Giveaway!)

Mavic 2 Pro

If price is any indicator, the Mavic 2 Pro is the flagship of the Mavic 2 Series. At $1,449, the Pro is $200 more expensive than its Zoom capable sibling. While you might have noticed, this price is rapidly approaching Phantom 4 Pro levels, DJI has made a compelling case for the high price by providing (almost) P4P level performance. This aircraft is clearly geared towards those who wish to have commercial grade equipment in a portable form factor.

Camera

The Pro comes equipped with a 1″ CMOS, 20mp shooter which was developed in conjunction with Hasselblad and boasts an adjustable aperture, HDR Video (14 stops), DLog-M color (at 10bit!), andHasselblad Natural Color Solution.This means that cinematographers can now capture a wider, more accurate color gamut across multiple lighting situations. Some have voiced concern about using 10bit color at a relatively low bit rate (100Mbps) but the video samples DJI showed seemed amazing, so I’m sure they figured out how to compress it without losing too much color data or image quality.

The major differences between the Mavic 2 Pro and the P4P are the slightly wider FOV of the P4P (84° v 77°), the lack of mechanical shutter on the M2P, and the fact that the Mavic 2 Pro can only shoot 4k at up to 30fps. So if 4k/60fps or a mechanical shutter are requirements for you (which is likely if you do mapping), you’re probably best sticking with the P4P. However, I think overall (and especially for the size) this is the aircraft to get and could very well replace the P4P for many pilots.

Performance

Aside from the new camera, DJI also spent a great deal of time discussing the upgraded performance of the new aircraft, claiming it can fly, “Longer, Faster, and Quieter” and even safer than previous generations. The redesigned airframe generates 19% less drag and the new, more powerful motors use sin wave current to generate more power with less sound (just like the motors on the P4PV2.) All this technological advancements result in an advertised flight time of 31minutes and a top speed of 44mph. In addition to the improved power and endurance, new sensors have improved both the Active Track feature and the APAS collision avoidance system.

The Mavic 2 Series uses all three sensors up front to create a 3d model of the world around it, allowing it to more effectively track and even predict the movement of your subjects! The new Enhanced APAS has stereo vision sensing on front, bottom, and back, with a time of flight sensor on the top and side sensors for Active Track and Tripod modes. All told, there are 10 vision sensors on the Mavic 2 that should make it almost impossible to crash. One final note on this is the downward facing LED light that comes on during landing to assist the vision sensors with precision landings, even in low light conditions.

Mavic 2 Zoom

While the Mavic 2 Pro got most of the attention, the Mavic 2 Zoom is equally enticing. It shares all of the same safety and performance capabilities of the Pro while equipping it with a different sensor and lens which opens up some creative options not previously available on a drone of this size.

Camera

The Mavic Zoom trades in the large 20mp sensor for a 1/2.3″ sensor with 4x (2x optical + 2x digital) zoom capabilities, effectively giving you a 96mm lens on your drone! The concept of a zoom capable drone is not new but is relatively new to the foldable drone segment. Launched in June, the Parrot Anafi had digital zoom but was burdened by its lack of optical zoom and 3 axis gimbal stabilization.

Zoom capability allows drone videographers to get more engaging shots with detailed subjects without having to get too close. The most obvious application for this, and one that DJI showed off quite a bit, is wildlife photography and videos.

Along with the Zoom, DJI announced the new QuickShot Mode, Dolly Zoom. Featured in countless films over the years, this effect was reserved for those with high end camera equipment.

One final feature available on the Zoom is Super Resolution Photos. The camera will automatically shoot 9 photos with its telephoto lens and stitch them together to create a 48MP image retaining a great deal of color and detail and a more accurate composition.

The Mavic 2 Giveaway!

So, have you made a decision on which one you want yet? We are giving one away, but we need your help to decide which one! Let us know which one you want to win below and then follow us on social media to be notified when the contest goes live!

Giveaway Goes Live In...

At Drone Academy, we try to bring you training, news, and reviews for all things drone (and we try to do it without bombarding you with popup or video ads.) If you’re thinking about buying a drone and want to help us out, it would be awesome if you could do it through our store or though our affiliate links with DJI, Parrot, or Amazon . Thanks!